Masquerade
by Erendyce
Summary: Post-game. The world has turned back to its rotten self by the grace of humankind. Suspected of murders, Yuri has vanished for almost a year. In the end, to Flynn, it's only a game of hide-and-seek behind masks. Flyuri pairing.


**A/N: **Probably my last fic before a while _ ToV doesn't belong to me, unfortunately.

* * *

><p><strong>Masquerade<strong>

"_Why not now? Why do you want to wait?"_

"_Because I'll have a stronger reason to return."_

_Flynn bit his lower lip, frowning. Both men were outside, and despite the darkness of the night, he could still make out the determined face of his friend. He didn't want to pronounce the words that were to follow, he really didn't want to, but he had to._

"_And what if you d-"_

"_What if I don't return? Flynn, listen to me. I will definitely return after I beat the crap out of Duke. I will because I have no other choice. It's that simple."_

"_No it's not. You aren't making any sense."_

_Yuri gave a small sigh then smiled, though all his face was displaying was seriousness._

"_Am I not? Flynn, you are the one who doesn't give me a choice. Because of what you told me, I have no other choice but to come back to you. To put it simply, you're the reason why I'll come back. Sounds girly, right?" Yuri laughed, then raised his left arm on which he was wearing the blastia of his former commander. "Anyway, I swear on this blastia that I'll come back, and when I do, at that moment I will return your feelings."_

"We've found the corpse of the magistrate of Capua Nor floating near the docking bays." Sodia reported gravely.

There was a second of silence before the man she addressed spoke:

"Any suspect?" he asked, perfectly knowing the answer. The female officer had at least the decency to hesitate before replying:

"A man with long hair was witnessed, but it was dark outside, so it could have been anyone."

"Yes, anyone indeed. Is that all?"

"Yes, Commander."

"Then you may leave."

"Yes, Commander."

Sodia saluted and headed for the door, but then she stopped before putting her hand on the handle.

"Commander... I know it must be difficult to-"

"That will be enough, Sodia. You do not have to worry about my actions. My duty goes to the empire and Queen Estellise first."

"Y-Yes, Commander. Please forgive my rudeness, Commander."

As the door closed behind her, the blonde man lowered his head and rested his forehead on his hand.

"Yuri... what are you doing to me?..." he murmured.

Everything hadn't started so badly, when he thought back of it. The Adephagos was no more, and so were the blastias, and Yuri Lowell and all his friends had been acknowledged by the princ- no, the queen Estellise as the world's heroes, the ones who had saved hundreds of thousands of lives without even thinking of any reward or honour or prestige. But of course the queen had bestowed all of those on them.

Then Flynn had been named Commander, which had earned him a lot of teasing from Yuri. At that time, it wasn't rare for the latter to come and visit his friend at the castle; everyone would think they were the best friends of the world and that such a bond could only be shared by two highly respectable people like the hero and the commander.

The queen Estellise would also allow – or force – Flynn to take days off to visit his childhood friend, asserting that the kingdom wouldn't collapse if there was no commander to sign boring papers for one day.

And of course, as he had promised, Yuri had returned his feelings.

Flynn suddenly tensed up at the thought. At the beginning, everything had seemed to go on smoothly; they would just make sure to be discreet, which wasn't too difficult.

_Fingers stroking his blonde hair and brushing past his cheek._

Like after any war, people would help each other rebuilding a new life without blastia, they would be kind and generous to each other in order to forget that their world had almost been destroyed, and they would promise to enjoy every day of their lives to their fullest.

_Lips teasing his neck while murmuring words that would make anyone follow him to hell._

Like after any war, the days of peace didn't last long. Swindlers, corrupted magistrates and bandits soon reappeared, proving once again that humankind was nothing but kind. The Imperial Knights could deal with the latter, but it was originally not part of their duties to dispense justice on the formers.

_A caress on his bare back that made him shiver._

And soon enough, the reports of disappearing people piled up on Flynn's desk. At first, no one even thought of suspecting the hero Yuri Lowell, but when the first witnesses start mentioning a long-haired man, even Estellise couldn't convince Flynn that it was probably someone else.

_Soft gasps, and his name being called repeatedly while both of them were lost in each other's embrace._

Flynn had questioned his friend – or lover – about those disappearances and testimonies, but Yuri had merely shrugged. Flynn knew, and Yuri knew that Flynn knew. The long-haired male started coming less often to the castle, though Estelle claimed publicly that it was on her advice, for his own safety.

"_I can't cover up for you much longer, Yuri. Families want results, they want someone to blame."_

"_Those who are to blame are already dead."_

"_Most of them didn't even know that their relatives were outlaws. And they won't believe it even with evidence, let alone without."_

"_If I run away, I'll only prove that I'm the one who disposed of them."_

"_If you don't, you'll end up dead. The families are gathering and are planning to take action by themselves."_

"_So much for saving their asses before."_

"_For them, it happened too long ago."_

The blonde commander didn't want to count the months since he had last seen Yuri, since he had last slipped his fingers in the long, dark hair, since he had last held that warm body against his; and yet he knew that more than eleven moons had passed since then. Eleven months without Yuri paying him surprise visits by climbing at his window and crouching on the edge with that malicious grin of his.

"_I'll come back for you."_

Flynn stood up and slammed both hands on the desk, crumpling some papers he was working on in the process. Yes, Yuri had already told him the same thing once and had kept his promise, but now Flynn doubted that he could keep it a second time.

He tried putting some order in his thoughts, reminding to himself mentally all the events that had led to the current situation. It wasn't very complicated; while the Imperial Knights were busy helping the people by providing new utility items which didn't require the use of blastias, some less scrupulous individuals had gathered into false merchant guilds in order to sell the very same items for outrageous prices. And it didn't take much more time for a black market to develop; annihilating for good the power that honest merchant guilds once held.

None of the guild leaders of the Union supported those fake guilds, naturally, and they were more than ever united to fight against them, with the support of the Knights. Unfortunately they weren't numerous enough to prevent the smugglers from selling their goods, as they usually made their business far from Zaphias and Dahngrest.

That is when Yuri told him that he was going to do what the Knights couldn't. If at least he had been discreet! But no, the fool had managed to get witnesses, and the title of hero wasn't a shield strong enough to protect him.

The time of rebirth and renewal of the world had passed, humans had turned back to their routine of greed and selfishness, anger and revenge were the feelings to which human beings succumbed the most easily; the families wanted a culprit, and they were ready to destroy all the labour and effort the Knights and the Union had put into salvaging their world.

Of course Estellise worked hard day and night with the help of loyal court members to keep at least Zaphias clean and flourishing, and the results were rather encouraging, but the duty of a queen wasn't limited to the capital.

A knock on the door brought Flynn back to reality.

"Come in." he said, dismissing the burdening thoughts messing with his head.

It was Sodia again.

"Her Highness wishes to speak to you. She is in the council room."

"I'll be there immediately."

* * *

><p>"Flynn, I'm really worried about Yuri." Estellise said without beating about the bush. "Even Karol hasn't been able to tell me about his whereabouts; I fear something may have happened to him. And Repede doesn't seem willing to find him either. Even now, I still can't believe he left Repede behind him. I would have been much reassured if those two were together."<p>

"I... Your Highness, his guild members have been looking for him for months, with almost no result. Even Judith didn't manage to find anything worth reporting. But I know Yuri, and I know he's alive somewhere. And the fact that Repede doesn't react may be because he trusts his master is safe." the blonde commander said with a firm tone.

"You're right. Yuri is strong and can't be taken down easily. But still..." the girl let out a sigh. On her face, tiredness could be clearly seen, despite all her efforts to look fresh and smiling towards her subjects.

Flynn cursed mentally at Yuri. Estellise had already enough on her hands with keeping the kingdom stable, she really didn't need to be added another cause of worry.

"We have another problem." she went on. "The families of the victims want a bounty put on Yuri's head, but if I do that, we may not be the first ones to find him. The Union told me about this new guild which calls itself the Fiery Arrows. Have you heard of them?"

"Yes, it seems they recruit only people willing to become head hunters."

"Indeed. Publicly, the Union approves of them because all their actions are legal, but their members don't inspire much trust. They will be the first ones to go after Yuri. Flynn, I really don't know what to do anymore. They're growing more and more impatient and they won't listen to reason."

As he pronounced the words that followed, disgust seized him at the lack of hesitation when he spoke:

"He's considered a criminal, therefore a bounty will be put on his head. However, he will have to be captured and brought to you alive."

The face Estellise displayed was the face he would have probably pulled if he hadn't controlled himself. He could barely understand how he had managed to let out those words so easily, let alone keeping a stoic expression while saying them. Yet, as the commander of the Imperial Knights, he had no other choice but to make those kinds of decisions, even if they hurt him. Deep inside, he only wished that Yuri was skilful and smart enough not to create some useless commotion after seeing announcements of the bounty.

He expected Estellise to protest and order him to find another solution, however she merely nodded and said:

"I understand. Please do what is necessary. I will inform the Union of this and ask for their assistance against the Fiery Arrows."

"The Union against one of their own guilds? This is going to create a lot of diplomatic incidents, you can't possibly..."

"I will have to be convincing, but we have several assets and they aren't insignificant. Karol, Raven and the others will support me, as well as the Union's leader. He hasn't forgotten about what Yuri did for the Union. And most guilds don't like the Arrows."

Her decision was made; Flynn couldn't even hope to change it, therefore he didn't try.

"Very well, your Highness. I only pray that you will bring us good news once you come back here."

* * *

><p>When Estellise came back two days later, Flynn was already waiting for her in the council room, ready to give her a report and also eager to know about the results of the negotiations, if there had been any.<p>

The weak yet genuine smile she gave him was encouraging, and her words confirmed the feeling:

"Raven was a great help in this matter. Each guild leader promised to send one member to gather information about Yuri's whereabouts before the Fiery Arrows get their hands on him. The merchant guilds were also cooperative, as they expect support from me to help put an end to the black market." she explained.

"This is good news. But how did you manage to convince them to follow you?" Flynn asked.

"I told them that I'm convinced that Yuri isn't the murderer we're looking for." Estellise replied simply.

The commander looked at her with surprise before asking again:

"Is that really what you believe?"

"Yes, I truly believe that Yuri isn't the kind of man he is said to be."

Flynn wanted to retort that she knew him poorly, but the conviction with which she had pronounced those words made him keep silent about all of Yuri's previous actions. Instead, he merely presented his report while trying to dismiss the image of his friend forming in his head.

"Thank you for your hard work, Flynn. It's good to see I can entrust the kingdom to you when I'm not there."

"It is my duty to serve the kingdom, your Highness." Flynn replied, which made the queen chuckle.

"Anyway, in a month will be the fifth anniversary of the destruction of the Adephagos. We should prepare a celebration for that occasion, and I thought of something rather amusing..."

"Your Highness, if I may, you are already too busy with all the current matters, and adding unnecessary burdens would only exhaust you more."

"I appreciate the concern, but I don't feel it's unnecessary. Actually, it'll be a good opportunity to let people enjoy themselves; they need occasions like this to relax and remember that Zaphias is still a good place to live in. It will be fun!"

Flynn smiled. She was probably right. It would certainly add more work on him and his knights, but it would be beneficial to the morale of the people.

"So, I thought of organizing a huge masked party here, in Zaphias. The principle is easy: during all that day, everyone will have to wear masks, they won't be allowed to remove them and they will also be able to dress up however they want, and there will be performances from some guilds, with music, theatre and many more things! It will do the merchant guilds a lot of good since people will buy fabric and whatnot for their costumes. And here, in the castle, I'll hold a masked ball at night as the closing ceremony. It will be great!"

Again, the commander couldn't help but smile at Estellise's enthusiasm. No matter how old she was, she would always keep a childlike side in her, which wasn't actually so bad after all.

"It sounds like an excellent idea, your Highness. I believe it will be a great celebration."

"Yes, I think it will be very amusing not to be able to recognize anyone!" Estellise replied, her smile broadening as she tilted her head on the side. Flynn had to disagree on that point, for it would make security matters far more complicated and...

And it clicked.

"Your Highness, did you happen to come up with the masks idea because of..."

But the girl merely put a finger on her lips as a sign to silence him, and chuckled.

Flynn felt guilty. How come the queen still trusted Yuri so much while Flynn had started doubting the one who was his own childhood friend – and lover. Even his guildmates still had faith in him, so why couldn't he bring himself to imitate them?

"_I'll come back for you."_

Probably because that same lover had most likely abandoned him. The time which had passed since Yuri had vanished couldn't be called long, but to Flynn it was already an eternity. He sometimes cursed his position as commander of the Imperial Knights which prevented him from looking for Yuri himself; it would have been far better than moping powerlessly, bound to his duties and unable to get rid of them.

And now, Estellise was giving him this hope. A false hope, most likely, but still. If he was hiding, what were the chances for Yuri to learn about the masked ball and actually come? And if he did come, what were the chances for Flynn to find him?

The commander shook his head. Now wasn't the time to be bothered by such selfish thoughts. He had to trust the Union and Yuri's friends to make sure the Arrows wouldn't find him.

* * *

><p>The preparations of the huge party were putting the whole castle upside down, and every day saw its convoys arrive from Dahngrest with supplies of every kind: food mainly, but also drapes, silk, velvet, pearls and hundreds of other ornaments for the costumes. The tailoring guild had also been dispatched in the whole kingdom and was overbooked with requests for dresses and costumes. In a way, Estellise's plan was working pretty well; everyone was looking forward to the anniversary and had started forgotten the gloominess that had progressively taken over them.<p>

The queen only wished that everything would go as well as she had planned.

Days passed, during which Flynn was simply too busy to think about the progress of Yuri's searching. Every day, he would receive the same report, stating that there was no sign of him anywhere, and that the Arrows were as clueless as them as well. For Flynn it could mean the best as much as the worst, yet he had decided to put his trust into his friend. On that morning, he could only hope that somewhere, Yuri was watching the same cloudy sky as him.

Three days before the anniversary, Estellise received Karol, Judith and Rita at the castle, where they were going to stay until the end of the celebration. Karol was the first to arrive with Repede. The boy – who wasn't that much of a boy anymore – looked as cheerful as always, and the dog was trotting along next to him, his usual pipe in the mouth.

Both of them were led to the reception room and after a few minutes of waiting, the door opened but it wasn't Estellise or even Flynn who came to greet them.

"Miss Sodia! Hey it's good to see you! What's up?" Karol exclaimed enthusiastically, waving at her. Repede, who was lying on the ground, barely moved. "Hey, Repede, don't be so rude!" Karol scolded him, but the only reaction he had was a growl, which made the boy sigh.

"Sorry, miss Sodia, he's usually a bit nicer, but the trip probably made him tired." he apologized with a smile.

"Don't worry, it's fine." the female officer replied, slightly embarrassed. She couldn't blame the dog for not liking her after she had attempted to kill his master, after all. "Anyway, I hope you had a safe trip here. Queen Estellise is pretty busy with the final preparations for the ball and the banquet, therefore she can't receive you right now, but I'm sure she will take some time to see you in a while."

"Oh sure, well the others haven't arrived anyway, so it's fine."

"They shouldn't take too long, now. If you wish some refreshments, I will call for some." Sodia offered.

But as she spoke, noises were heard in the corridor. Karol jumped at one of the voices.

"But that's... Raven! The damn old man told me he was too lazy to go to Zaphias!"

And indeed, soon after, Judith stepped into the room, followed by Raven who was rubbing his head with a grimace of pain, while Rita walked passed him with obvious disdain. Karol swore he heard Raven say the words '...just wanted to see you...'

"And here comes the barbaric girl with the iron fist..." the boy muttered, all his enthusiasm suddenly vanishing.

"What did you say?" Rita snapped at him with a deadly glare.

"N-Nothing! I was talking to myself! It's good to see you all, haha!" Karol replied hurriedly.

"Hello, Karol. Good to see you're doing well." Judith greeted, as composed as ever.

"Well, since you all arrived, I'll have refreshments brought to you all." Sodia said, completely unused to those folk's quarrels.

As she was about to leave, Karol stopped her:

"Ah wait! Hm... You don't happen to have any news about Yuri, do you? I mean, since you're working with Flynn and he's his best buddy, I thought that he may know something."

Sodia stiffened a bit as always, whenever she heard Yuri's name, but then she shook her head.

"Unfortunately, we haven't been able to get any information on his whereabouts. Commander Flynn is very busy dealing with plenty of other matters, therefore you should ask the guilds which I believe have been asked to help searching." she replied with caution.

"Yeah but Yuri's his friend! I don't understand how he can take things so lightly about him." Karol sighed. "And I've already asked the guilds..."

"Then I fear I can't do much more for you. Now, if you'll excuse me." Sodia replied before leaving the room.

Karol dropped back in the sofa, next to Raven who patted his shoulder.

"We'll find him, don't worry." he said.

"Yeah, and when we do, I'll kick him so hard he'll never think of disappearing like that again." Rita muttered.

"That's not very nice, Rita." Judith laughed.

"Now that I think of it, you've never seemed very worried about Yuri, or you're hiding it very well." Karol went on.

"You're right, I've never worried about him. He's a big boy." the Krytian woman replied calmly. "I'm pretty much convinced that he's doing more than fine."

"How can you be so sure?"

Judith looked at him with amusement, then with a mysterious smile, she replied:

"Intuition."

* * *

><p>Music was filling the streets of Zaphias, and despite it was already night, the whole town was illuminated and one could have been easily mistaken by thinking it was broad daylight. Still, the clear moon in the cloudless sky was the undisputed evidence that night had taken over the party.<p>

People were dancing, playing or simply chatting by the many shops that were all open for the event, dressed in colourful costumes and wearing not less colourful and creative masks. Everyone had tried their best to outdo the others in both talent and originality and it had been a friendly competition which had fuelled the members of the tailoring guilds.

From the window of his study, Flynn couldn't help but smile a bit at the joyful atmosphere he could see and at the noise of people laughing and singing he could hear. Of course, the security was tight, but discreet. The Imperial Knights had received orders not to be too visible; and to be strict yet understanding when necessary, which was a balance that Flynn trusted his knights to have.

The masked ball would begin in a few minutes. Flynn let out a small sigh and adjusted his mask. He didn't particularly like dressing up like that, but since it was the queen's order, he didn't have much choice. Estellise had insisted for all the knights to have a matching uniform and mask; Flynn had agreed on the condition that the costumes would be plain and favouring handiness over luxuriance.

As a result, it was very much similar to the normal uniform, except that this one was pure white velvet and embroidered with thin, silver threads into sophisticated yet discreet patterns. Flynn, as the commander, also had gold braids on his sleeves and around the collar, as well as a blue cape matching his azure eyes and tied in the front by a brooch set with a small turquoise. As he finished adjusting the belt on which his sword was hanging, he grabbed the mask on his desk, sighing once again. He really didn't feel at ease with those sorts of garments and his dearest wish at that moment was for the party to end quickly so he could go back to his normal uniform. He put the white and gold mask over his eyes and exited his study.

As he stepped into the ball room, he saw Estellise giving a few last orders to some servants about the buffet and other minor details. She was wearing a rather complicated dress herself, red with pink flowers to match her hair, with several layers of silk. Her mask was on the top of her head. Hearing him approaching, she turned to him and her face lit up.

"Flynn! I was right! This looks wonderful on you!" she exclaimed.

"Your Highness looks much more beautiful." he replied, bowing down. "The guilds did an excellent job."

"They did, indeed. Anyway, the ball is going to start soon. I hope the musicians are ready and that the food will be fine. Flynn, even if you are still on duty, don't forget that you are also here to enjoy yourself, OK?

"Yes, your Highness." he said with a smile.

"Good, let's welcome the guests then!" Estellise pulled her mask over her eyes and hurried to the main entrance to greet the guests when the doors would open. Flynn merely stepped back to his post, imitated by his other knights.

* * *

><p>It was, as he had expected, extremely boring. To him at least, since the only thing he had to do was to stand back where most people wouldn't see him and watch. Everyone else in the ball room seemed to be having a lot of fun, waltzing to the rhythm of the melodies played by the royal musicians. At first, Flynn had tried to entertain himself by watching the various costumes and masks and by guessing who was hiding behind each of them; however he stopped pretty quickly as he realized it was making him feel more asleep than anything.<p>

A few women had shyly tried starting a conversation with him, most likely expecting him to invite them to dance; unfortunately Flynn would merely reply politely and shortly at their questions until they got tired. He sipped at the cup of champagne in his gloved hand, watching a bit absent-mindedly at Estellise chatting happily with some nobles by one of the buffet.

His thoughts started wandering away, towards a certain person. The fool inside him kept whispering at him that maybe, among that crowd spinning around at the sound of music, that certain person would be hiding. _'Idiot. Why would he come back now?'_

And yet, whenever he saw long, dark hair flowing out of those complicated masks set with feathers and pearls, his hands would tense unconsciously. An idiot, really.

Minutes passed, an eternity for Flynn. And then his heart failed a beat.

In the middle of the room, wearing a dark purple dress and a white mask which only let see a mischievous smile, she was dancing with a man with a grace that only trained bodies could have. Her long and black hair with purple tints was following all of her movements; and to Flynn it was a very familiar sight.

_Blades clashing against each other, flashes of metal reflected by the sun as they were moving like two wolves fighting over a single prey._

_Long, dark hair floating in the wind as he parried and attacked, and yet never getting in the way._

_That impish smile never leaving his lips._

It was the same bearing, the same body – though maybe thinner, the same cocky smile.

Their gazes met or at least, she turned his head towards him. More than once. When would the dance be over? Seconds seemed like hours for Flynn. He was dying to leave his spot and rush to her in a thoughtless impulse, but it seemed fate took mercy on him and soon enough, the music was over.

His heart started beating more quickly as he saw the woman bow to her dancing partner and then walking towards him with the same smile as ever. Flynn's lips were already burning with a certain name and it was only a matter of seconds before he would be able to pronounce it. She walked closer, and closer, and closer.

"Good evening, Commander Flynn Scifo."

At that same instant, Flynn's hopes crumbled to nothing. The voice was definitely a feminine one.

"I have noticed you observing me while I was dancing." the woman continued daringly. "Would it be that you feel too alone and bored here? How about a dance with me? I'm sure our queen won't blame you for that. This is a party to celebrate after all."

Flynn had to gathered all his might to send her off as politely as he could, trying not to let his disappointment show on his face.

What an idiot he had been, really. How could he have believed even for a second that that person had been the one he been waiting for? He needed to stop hurting himself with false hopes.

And then it happened.

The only warning he had was a faint rustle of clothes behind which immediately turned on his defensive reflexes and made him bring his hand to the handle of his sword. Right as he started turning his head, a flash of long and black hair and a – oh so familiar – smirk made his heart jump. This time he wasn't mistaking.

"Yu-" he started, but a finger on his lips and an arm embracing him from behind silenced him completely.

"How elegant you are tonight, Commander Flynn Scifo." a male voice murmured at his ear. "Are you trying to seduce someone?"

Flynn felt the person releasing him and he turned round immediately, only to swallow back a gasp. At first sight, it was a lady who was standing in front of him. Long hair, an ebony black dress and an even darker mask embroidered with dark purple threads; that person was the complete opposite reflection of Flynn. And yet, Flynn's trained eyes could see the sharper traits of a male face and the stronger silhouette of a male body.

"So amazed by me that you can't say a word anymore?" the man asked.

Still under the shock, Flynn remained silent for another second before he finally uttered:

"Yuri... I thought you'd never come back."

The man smiled, this time with a gentle and apologetic smile, and it was enough for Flynn to grab his wrist and drag him away outside the ball room, unnoticed by any.

"Hey hey! Aren't you on duty or something?" Yuri asked as he was following Flynn – a bit forcefully – through a corridor.

"I don't care about my duty." was Flynn's only answer, which earned him a very surprised look which he couldn't see anyway.

"Did I hear well? Flynn Scifo, Commander of the Imperial Knights of the queen, is neglecting his duty? The world will end soon."

But Flynn couldn't care less about the end of the world. As soon as they reached his room, he pulled Yuri inside and locked the door, then turned to his friend and almost ripped off his mask as he removed it from Yuri's face. He stood there, staring at him as if he still couldn't believe his eyes, until Yuri got tired of the examination and shook his head.

"I really need to do everything by myself, don't I?" he commented, also removing Flynn's mask and pulling the man into a deep kiss. It felt rather awkward, as if it was their first kiss, but maybe it was because it had been so long since Flynn was last able to feel those lips against his; his arms instinctively wrapped around Yuri's waist, and the familiar feeling of Yuri's body pressing against his awoke memories he thought had already vanished.

But then, in spite of himself, he found himself gently pushing the other male back, to the latter's surprise.

"What is it?" Yuri asked.

"Yuri... It's really you... but where have you been all this time? What have you been doing? Wh-"

"Flynn." Yuri interrupted him abruptly. "We have a lot to tell each other, I know that, but how about we save the questions for later? We'll talk after. Now the only thing I want is you. And wearing this dress is actually pretty embarrassing, so I'd be very grateful if you could rid me of it."

Flynn didn't need to be told it twice. It seemed that Yuri's hunger for him was as vivid as Flynn's desire for Yuri. The blonde commander grabbed his face and pulled it closer to kiss him again, though this time it seemed like he was devouring the other boy's mouth, biting and licking on those lips he didn't get to taste for months, and then shoving his tongue inside and ravishing him as if his life depended on it.

Yuri wasn't less active on his side; one hand grabbing Flynn's hair and the other gripping tightly on the white fabric, he was savouring as much as he was tasting the kiss which was now broken by small pants and wet sounds of lips parting only to connect again immediately after. Yuri's hands moved to the brooch of Flynn's cape and undid it while Flynn was almost ripping the black dress apart. The latter fell off Yuri's shoulders and on the ground.

"You aren't supposed to wear trousers under a dress, Yuri." Flynn teased him.

"Shut up and keep going." the other man groaned.

Clothes were soon discarded, and as they both lied on the bed beside them in a messy rustle of bed sheets, the contact of their warm skins on each other suddenly made months of longing and yearning resurface. Flynn had Yuri pinned below him and busied himself with tasting every part of Yuri's exposed body, biting particularly at that precise spot at the junction of the neck and the shoulder, where he knew Yuri was the most sensitive.

Each gesture felt nostalgic; Yuri's reactions were still the same as ever and Flynn knew them by heart. A stroke here would make him gasp lightly, a caress there would made him shudder, running a finger along the middle line of his abs would make him arch a bit; Yuri really hadn't changed at all.

Even when the long-haired male suddenly shoved him on his back and crawled between his legs, he already knew what was coming next. The familiar feeling of Yuri's mouth around his arousal and the sight of him drinking him thirstily threw him back in time, five years ago, when they had first shared their night together.

When Yuri had vanished, not a single night had passed without Flynn feeling a bitter cold at the empty bed, not a single day had passed without him lingering on the ghostly touches of Yuri's fingers caressing his face or playing with his hair.

Warmth – or rather, a burning sensation – pooling at his crotch brought him back to reality, where Yuri was with him at last, and giving him the pleasure he had long been denied. Flynn was panting more and more loudly and he had unconsciously grabbed Yuri's long hair to make him take him deeper, which the latter did with no complaint.

It wasn't until he reached his climax that he realized how empty he had felt during those long months of waiting. Drowning himself in his duties towards the Crown, he thought that he had managed to bury whatever he could have felt for Yuri, no matter how much he would feel there was something missing.

"Hey, I'm here now, Flynn." Yuri's voice rose softly, as if the man had read Flynn's thoughts.

Slightly surprised – but not so much now –, the blonde one laid his sapphire eyes on Yuri before closing them when the latter sat up and held out a warm hand to his cheek and pulled his face closer before giving a unusually gentle kiss.

"The night is not over, Flynn." Yuri murmured against his lips.

The commander couldn't help but smile. No, the night wasn't over at all, and he let himself drown in Yuri's open arms with no resistance, offering him the passionate embrace both of them were craving for. After all those months which had passed without them being able to even see each other, they took their time as if it was their first time and yet showed a dexterity at pleasuring each other that could have only been taught by experience.

They forgot that the world around them existed, focusing only on the presence of the other to assuage their selfish and carnal desires, giving, taking and receiving at the same time, losing themselves in a sort of fiery battle where they had everything to gain and feeding on each other until they were drained of their strength. And even then, they kept going, fuelled only by folly and lust. Yuri was moaning and calling Flynn's name repeatedly and almost unconsciously, like a charm to prevent the other man from leaving him; and the latter could only reply to those calls with the same flawless devotion he put in each of his actions.

At some points, both of them were left breathless and wordless, sweating and slightly trembling, staring at each other as if to catch up for all the time that had passed.

"Again... Flynn..." Yuri's worn out voice murmured.

"No... you're exhausted... You won't... stand more..." Flynn shook his head, though he knew in advance that he had already lost the argument.

"Don't bother... about that... take me, as long as I tell you to... and even... when I can't stand it... anymore... just keep going..."

"You're insane, Yuri..."

"We both are, Flynn..."

Fools they were, and also insane when it came to dealing with each other, yet absurdity was bound to be found in that indescribable relationship of theirs. It didn't matter. The only thing they took heed of was what their bodies were demanding from them.

And so Flynn gave in to his lover's request, giving both of them the pleasure they sought while drawing the strength to continue in Yuri's body, until there was nothing left to draw.

* * *

><p>Yuri was, with no surprise, sleeping soundly, an arm over Flynn's chest. The ball was probably over by now, but he didn't really care about it. He'd probably be scolded a bit by Estellise for disappearing suddenly, but knowing her, he'd be easily forgiven if he told her that it was because of Yuri.<p>

The latter stirred up a bit, and after a few seconds, his eyes opened slowly.

"I feel like a living dead..." were the first words he muttered.

"You asked for it." Flynn replied with a neutral tone.

"I know that... Anyway, still not morning yet?"

"Soon."

Silence followed. Flynn's head was filled with questions he was burning to ask, yet he was reluctant to spoil the calm atmosphere of the room. In the end it was Yuri who broke it.

"Pretty good idea Estelle got."

"Hm?"

"The masked ball. Don't tell me you didn't realize."

"That it was an open call for you to come back? I'm not that stupid, Yuri."

The long-haired man laughed.

"Yeah, right. You aren't."

"What is that supposed to mean?"

"Nothing, Flynn. Nothing."

"What are you going to do now?" Flynn asked out of the blue.

"Now? I'm just gonna rest a bit, using you as my pillow."

"You know what I mean." Flynn said very seriously, earning him a sigh from Yuri.

"What do you want me to do? Our queen put a bounty on my head for whatever reason, so I'll probably keep hiding."

"For whatever reason? Yuri, you've been _killing_ people all these past months."

At those words, Yuri froze and frowned. Then he sat up and looked at his friend.

"Are you telling me that you actually believe that?" he asked, his tone suddenly turning cold.

"Wait, you mean you didn't?" It was Flynn's turn to frown.

"Of course I didn't! I didn't kill a single person since I left Zaphias! I don't even know who was killed!"

Flynn sat up as well, now looking deep in thought.

"What's the meaning of this..." he talked to himself. "There were reports of witnesses saying it was you..."

"So you don't belie-"

"I do, Yuri. I do believe you. If you say you didn't kill them, then it's all I need to be convinced that you didn't." Flynn replied, looking at his friend with a smile. "Also, where have you been all this time?"

"With Ba'ul."

"What?" Flynn opened round eyes, which made Yuri smirk and pat him on the shoulder.

"Judy was kind enough to lend me Ba'ul, so we've been flying around here and there."

"Judith? So she knew about your whereabouts!"

"Of course she did, but she thought it'd be wiser if she didn't spread the word too much. What, did you think I was living in some cave and eating flowers?" Yuri laughed, before letting out a small exclamation of pain as Flynn hit him on the head.

"Both of you... really... damn it. You piss me off so much." the commander replied, visibly annoyed.

But then a pair of arms slipped around his waist and he felt the pleasant contact of his back against Yuri's chest. Yuri buried his face in the crook of Flynn's neck, kissing the skin tenderly.

"I'm sorry, Flynn. I've caused you a lot of trouble." he murmured.

"You don't even imagine." the other man replied, still slightly sullen, but he started relaxing in Yuri's arms a bit. "So you'll leave again?"

"I don't have much choice. As long as people keep believing I'm a criminal, I can't appear in public, though I'm going to find out who the hell is trying to put all those murders on me."

"Don't take too many risks. I'll investigate, and I'm sure all your friends will be happy to help. Especially Judith. I'll have her compensate for hiding us the truth."

"Don't be too hard on her, it was for my sake."

"I know..."

"Anyway, don't you have some work to do as a commander of the queen? I wonder if you can really afford slacking here with me." Yuri teased him.

"Are you kicking me out of my own bed?" Flynn pretended to be offended, but then smiled. "But you're right. I should be going now."

He managed – reluctantly – to free himself from Yuri's arms and turned to face him. Then, slipping his fingers in the long hair, he declared:

"We'll find the real culprit, and as soon as we do, you'll come back to us."

* * *

><p>The guilds' network was formidably efficient. As soon as Flynn had spread the word – discreetly – that there was a possibility that the murderer they were looking for wasn't Yuri, information breakers were dispatched and it didn't take long before reports of suspicious activities within the new merchant guilds reached the ears of the Union. It seemed that those guilds wanted to monopolize the trade of blastia-less goods, and didn't hesitate to get rid of personalities they deemed were a hindrance for their business.<p>

Naturally, those guilds were quickly disbanded to the relief of the real merchant guilds; compensations were given to the families, and peace finally started coming back to the kingdom.

Sitting by his desk, Flynn put his seal on a letter and put the paper on the top of a huge pile of other papers. He sighed. The main thing he disliked in his function of commander was the administrative work which he truly believed could be handled by civilians. One way or another, he'd have to convince Estellise about it.

As he was about to grab the next paper, a gust of wind blew in his room, making all the papers fly around the room. Flynn stood up and was about to swear at the idiot who had left the window open, but as he turned round and saw who was crouching on the edge of the window, he could only sigh and smile.

"...Still as annoying as ever, aren't you?"

**The End**

* * *

><p>Tell me what you think?<p> 


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